This invention relates to animal cage enclosures. More particularly, the invention relates to a hibernation enclosure which is designed to provide a controlled environment suitable for enabling reptiles to enter into hibernation.
Many reptiles in the wild spend the cold winter months in hibernation. Hibernation is a state of greatly reduced metabolism characterized by a lowering of body temperature and the rate of breathing. Maintaining a low rate of metabolism during hibernation is not only important for surviving the harsh winters, but is also important for overcoming diseases and ensuring successful breeding. Accordingly, in order to raise healthy reptiles and gain benefits from successful breeding, it is necessary to replicate their natural environment as much as possible. Thus, it is desirable to have an animal cage enclosure that can simulate winter climate conditions, as would be experienced by the caged reptiles if they were living in the wild, and thereby enable them to safely enter into hibernation.
Several references uncovered in the prior art describe animal cages that provide a controlled environment suitable for particularly accommodating cold-blooded animals such as reptiles. Such prior art animal cages are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,010,845, 5,134,969, 5,272,316, 3,786,781, and 4,201,153. Despite the importance of hibernation, most of these prior art animal cages lack the ability to accommodate the hibernation needs of the caged animals.
While these units mentioned above may be suitable for the particular purpose employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.